


Magnetic

by LorettaFryingPan



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Domesticity, F/M, Love Notes, Working at Torchwood sucks, inappropriate use of magnets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 07:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/235790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LorettaFryingPan/pseuds/LorettaFryingPan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What else are you supposed to do with letter magnets if your child can’t read?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Magnetic

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my “you need to actually do something with this” pile for quite a while. Thankfully, the ficathon at doctor-rose-fix (on LJ) gave me the impetus to get this done.  
> This takes place in Pete's World, after Cloen and Rose have gotten all settled into life there and have a little son.
> 
> I hope you like it!

There were certain upsides to having a child that wasn’t yet able to read, Rose mused as she regarded the refrigerator. Sure, it had led to some minor burns (and heart attacks on Rose’s and the Doctor’s parts) when written warnings couldn’t be heeded, but Johnny seemed to equate the exclamation point with things to be avoided (and hadn’t the Doctor gone on and on about conditioning and the day he spent with Pavlov until Rose had to tell him to go pick Johnny up from preschool, he was five minutes late). On the other hand, a definite positive aspect to the whole thing was the fact that they could just spell out anything they didn’t want Johnny to hear. It had come in handy for more than one doctor’s appointment.

She fiddled absentmindedly with a lime green ‘Q’-shaped magnet before sticking it back to the fridge. The magnets certainly were whimsical, and added a welcome splash of color to what was otherwise a sleek silver monolith. She hadn’t picked them out, but she was the first to start writing messages with them. Because she left for work early every other morning (today was a Saturday, which she should have had off only the Rift had been acting up so she had to pull double shifts), she would leave little notes, like “love you” or “your turn for dinner” written in Technicolor for the Doctor to read when he got downstairs with Johnny before heading off to work himself.

This morning, however, she wished that she didn’t have to look at those cheery magnets. She wanted to be back in bed, curled up with her husband. She wanted to cheerfully ignore the bureaucratic grind that Torchwood work was so much of the time and spend her morning flipping chocolate chip pancakes for her son instead of flipping requisition forms for her team. She wanted…

She drained the last of her tea and set the mug in the sink before having at the array of letters on the fridge door. Just before leaving, Rose spared a quick glance at the fridge and smirked. Out of all the pros and cons for having a young and not-yet-literate child, Rose was the most appreciative of the fact that she could still get away with things like this.

~*~*~

The alarm went off and the Doctor blinked into alertness, limbs reaching around the negative space Rose left behind.

He looked around, bewildered.

Oh, right. It was Saturday. He sat up, running his hand through his hair (he only succeeded in making it messier). Rose was probably already at work.

He looked at the blinking red numbers on the alarm clock, and decided that Johnny could sleep for a while longer. He flopped back onto the pillow and heaved a sigh. _Oh well, may as well get up and get the day started_ , he thought to himself. He rolled out of bed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Blearily preparing his morning caffeine, the Doctor didn’t notice the colorful announcement on the fridge until his second cup of tea. But when he finally turned to look in the hopes that Rose had left a note, this was what he saw:

[   
](http://min.us/ldEEHs)

 

His eyes widened, and a smirk played out across his mouth. When she put it like that, how could he refuse?

~*~*~

By the time Rose got home, it was nearly dark and she was completely exhausted (Torchwood work was an example of Murphy’s Law in action). So exhausted in fact, that she had completely forgotten about the note she had left that morning.

Dropping her purse on the counter, Rose fumbled for the light switch. After a few unsuccessful tries, she managed to light up the kitchen. She toed her shoes off and began to head for the stairs when she noticed something was different about the fridge. (She may have been tired, but she was a Torchwood agent damnit, and she noticed things).

The message had changed. Instead of her unsubtle request (demand), the plastic letters spelled out:

“AS YOU WISH.”

She laughed quietly under her breath, a relieved laugh that something would be going right today.

She heard the gentle _slap slap_ of bare feet on hardwood floors, and turned around to see the Doctor leaning against the doorjamb. He had followed her instructions to the letter, and wore only his glasses (‘brainy specs’ he’d called them, and she was so enamored with them that he had taken to wearing them more and more, even though his eyesight was perfect) and his smile.

“How was your day?” He asked, grinning wider and holding his arms out. She returned the expression and walked toward him. “It’s about to get a lot better,” she replied and fell into his embrace.

~*~*~

The next morning, most of the letters were on the floor. Rose couldn’t bring herself to care, and whistled as she cooked breakfast. It was going to be a lovely day.


End file.
